Step By Bloody Step #1

Si Spurrier, Matias Bergara Image Comics, 2022

Pb, pp48, £4.50, ISBN 70985303315800111

In the latest comic from Si Spurrier, Matias Bergara and Matheus Lopes, there is no dialogue, no exposition, no history and no explanation. There is a metal giant striding across a landscape with a small girl cradled in its hand. Occasionally, it puts the girl down to deal with a threat, and there are many in this world, before picking her up once more to continue on its way.

Bergara’s art is beautiful, and without any dialogue it has to carry the whole weight of the narrative. There is no description or witty wordplay to hide behind here, just visual storytelling, which includes Matheus Lopes’s superb use of colour, to convey a complex relationship that unfolds throughout the story.

The character design and worldbuilding are excellent, but what really impressed me was the way that – from the very first image – different viewpoints are used to convey a sense of scale, both between the girl and the giant, and the threats they encounter along the way. There is tenderness here, as well as jealousy and violence, and that contrast makes Step By Bloody Step such a powerful piece of work. Highly recommended.